FIFA Women’s World Cup: Matildas statistical breakdown reveals gap between hosts and European sides

On paper the Matildas have only just wiggled their way into the round of 16 with statistics revealing the gap between the host nation and European teams. SEE THE NUMBERS HERE.

Not the best, but far from the worst.

That’s the only fair summation of the Matildas’ performance from the opening group stage games of the World Cup when compared to the other 15 nations to progress to the round of 16.

As the World Cup enters the knockout stages, Code Sports trawled through the official statistics of the tournament to examine how the Australians compare to the powerhouses of the event.

The gap between the host nation and European teams is evident in several categories, but thankfully for Australia the only European team consistently worse off than the Matildas in the statistics is their next opponent Denmark.

SCORING

The Matildas have been far from clinical this tournament.

Such struggles are obvious to those watching – like the Matildas’ inability to get the ball in the back of the net despite taking plenty of shots.

Just 16 of their 50 shots at goal have been on target in their three round games against Ireland, Nigeria and Canada – the fourth-least accurate team of those remaining.

Without Sam Kerr, the Matildas have lacked a clinical finish at times. Picture: Getty Images

Denmark were just slightly improved with nine of their 27 shots on target – while just three actually hit the net.

Surprisingly Morocco was the most accurate side in front of the goal. They recorded the lowest number of shots at the net with just 23 in three games but 12 of them were on target – maybe less really is more.

The Matildas 4-0 thumping of Canada helped boost their goals scored to seven for the tournament – one of the few statistics the Australian’s sit in the top half of the group for.

Japan is the golden boot winner so far with 11 goals, followed by Netherlands and Sweden with nine each.

Just shy of half the top 16 teams have conceded more than one goal this tournament, including the Matildas who have had three fly past the goalkeeper.

Admittedly all three goals were scored by Nigeria – in the game we no longer talk about.

The Matildas seemed to have learnt from their mistakes with a much improved defensive display against Olympic champions Canada.

Jamaica, Switzerland and Japan are the only teams who didn’t concede a single goal in their first three games.

Hit your targets, Matildas. Picture: WILLIAM WEST / AFP

ACCURACY

Passing accuracy has been a major issue for the Matildas with less than 80 per cent of passes finding their mark.

In close battles, which we expect to see now just the top 16 teams remain, keeping the ball and making the most of it when you have it could prove the difference between a win or a loss.

Matildas’ 79.6 per cent passing accuracy is a far cry from Spain’s 90 per cent. The Spanish pulled off that impressive figure all while having the highest number of passes as well.

England is close behind with an 88 per cent passing accuracy.

Denmark’s accuracy falls at 76.1 per cent.

With so many speed demons in the team it’s no surprise the Matildas love to drive up the wings and cross the ball in.

They have one of the highest number of attempted crosses in the remaining top 16 but with just 16 of their 69 attempts hitting a target it begs the question if the tactic is working.

Just four teams have a lower percentage when it comes to cross accuracy – Denmark once again being one of those.

While Spain is in a league of its own converting nearly 40 per cent of their 128 crosses.

Australia is ranked fourth for most corners in the tournament, with 25, behind only Spain (34), France (28) and USA (26).

The Aussies are one of the lowest ranked teams remaining in terms putting their opposition under the pump to win the ball back. Picture: Getty Images

PRESSURE

When it comes to forced turnovers, Australia is ranked 14th of the final 16 teams with 216, just ahead of Spain (207) and Switzerland (203).

It’s a huge difference compared to Colombia (284), South Africa (283) and Denmark (281) who lead the way.

The Matildas also rank lowly for free kicks, with just 22 putting them equal 12th on the table and just over half of the USA with 40 for the tournament.

It’s no wonder then that Australia is ranked 15th for fouls against, their 25 only ahead of Japan (14) with France the most fouled team so far with 46.

But now that we’re at the knockout stage of the World Cup, statistics matter little because the only tally worth keeping and remembering is the scoreboard.

There are no prizes for the prettiest, sharpest or most efficient football team. All that matters is winning. And for the Matildas, they’re just four wins away from the holy grail.

Originally published as FIFA Women’s World Cup: Matildas statistical breakdown reveals gap between hosts and European sides